Picture posed by animal performer. Not an actual Bridge Farm pig.
Tom wants to sell the pigs to keep Bridge Farm afloat. While their future looks uncertain, we've had a rifle through the archive and rooted out some facts from their past:
In 1978, pigs at Bridge Farm were just a twinkle in the eye of a very young John Archer. When he was one year old his favourite storybook was Little Piggly Wriggly.
John bought his first four piglets from his great uncle, Phil Archer, beating him down to a bargain price.
After John’s tragic death, his brother Tom (then known as Tommy) and John's ex-girlfriend, Hayley, took on the pigs (with support from Neil).
Eric’s great escape: In April 1998 Eric the boar left a trail of devastation around Ambridge. The surgery garden was dug up, Lynda’s compost heap rooted through leaving bits all over the lawn. Eric evaded capture at The Bull but was eventually caught at Keeper’s Cottage by Tom, Tony and Neil.
In November 1999 Tom bought his sister, Helen, a drink at The Cat and thanked her for her help in securing an order from the organic supermarket owner, Howard Friend. But, sibling rivalry flared in 2002 when Helen got fed up with Tom thinking he’ll be a sausage millionaire by the time he’s 30.
In December 2004 Jazzer helped Tom round up some pigs that have got into Lynda’s polyanthus. Tom saw the Scot had an affinity with pigs and Jazzer was instantly hired.
Maurice Horton started as Tom’s butcher in March 2005, replacing his first butcher Stan. But it wasn’t long before the supermarket Tom supplied cancelled its order, which made up 80% of his business. His dreams of being a sausage millionaire seemed in tatters.
In 2005 Tom went into partnership with Brian Aldridge to give the business a boost but ended up feeling like his pigman with Brian making decisions without consulting him.
“Tom Archer’s Sausages. Sizzlin’!”: A 2006 ad campaign that went so well, Tom said wherever he went people shouted “Sizzlin!” at him.
By May 2009 Tom had moved his pig business back to Bridge Farm and he and Jazzer loaded up the first lot of organic pigs for slaughter.
Footballing pigs: In September 2011 Tom’s new marketing idea was a film of football-playing pigs, which he put on the internet. A later marketing campaign featuring #piggeryjokery and #swinetime to promote Tom Archer ready meals went viral.
Tom’s birthday present to Peggy in 2012 was a hamper with a tag which read “To the star of my show”. It was the very first Tom Archer Christmas hamper.
In May 2014 the pigs temporarily lost their organic status when the inspector discovered non-organic feed had been given to the herd.
The pig escapades continue: In 2016 two of Tom's prized porcine team, Ronnie and Reggie, were found eating the Grundy’s turkey pellets. As a finder’s fee, Tom agreed to buy Joe a few pints.
